The funding, part of the National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP), was announced on Oct. 12. The money will be put toward a $1.6 million flood mapping project focusing on three watersheds in the province’s Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba basins.

“Manitobans have been weathering major floods since the early 1800s and we have emerged as a leader in predicting and managing floodwaters,” Ron Schuler, Manitoba’s minister of infrastructure, said in a statement. “The funding announced today will help expand the mapping of flood-prone areas of the province to better predict and prepare for what nature sends our way.”

Over the last 20 years, flood damage has accounted for 80% of federal disaster assistance payments, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).